


The Zookeeper [Newt Scamander x Reader Oneshot]

by TechnoFay



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Animals, Attempt at Humor, College, Community College, F/M, Humor, Newt Scamander is a Dork, Newt is a Dork, Non-Canon Relationship, Oblivious, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader-Insert, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Snakes, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-19 02:44:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9414536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnoFay/pseuds/TechnoFay
Summary: A Newt x Reader fic, featuring Muggle!Newt AU where you are both in college together.





	1. Bedtime Buddies

It was a rather strange day for you; the fall semester of your second year in college was starting next week and you were just now getting settled in your dorm for the evening, dressing for bed.

Last year, you had rented a small apartment with a friend, but they transferred to another school, leaving you to find new lodging in the form of the cramped but relatively clean local dorms.

Your dorm mate was… cheerful to say the least, but you liked her, bubbly personality and all. And you hadn’t missed how clever she was either, despite only being here for a bachelor’s degree so she could get better pay, Queenie Goldstein was far from dense. As a matter of fact, the way she smiled would almost suggest she knew exactly what you were thinking…

Her older sister had stopped by earlier that day while you were unpacking, chiding her over something (you hadn’t heard what since they were outside in the hall) then came in and introduced herself. Stark in comparison to her sister, Tina still exhibited some sense of humor when you made a sarcastic comment about the quality of the dorms, and you decided that perhaps this year wouldn’t be so bad despite losing your best friend.

Until you found the snake in your bed that night.

Letting out a loud shriek when you unveiled the brown and cream colored serpent coiled beneath your blanket, you stepped back a few feet, frozen with shock in nothing but a tank top and your underwear.

It was so damn big… How the hell had it gotten in?

There was scuffling sound coming from the hall then a loud banging at the door, a muffled voice coming though.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a boa in there?” Forgetting your current state, even with the protests from Queenie, you twisted the slider until the lock turned over, stepping back as a freckled face met your own, his blue eyes stunning you for an instant much in the same way the snake had.

“Where is she?”

“Who?” You replied dumbly, still caught up in staring at the man's face and consequently catching Queenie's attention, who perked up in interest.

“The boa of course,” the man spoke, eyes flicking past you to peer into your dorm, the broken eye contact releasing you from whatever spell you had been under. All those whispers you had heard about the dorms being like a zoo were apparently true... to a very... literal level that you did not expect.

“O-oh... here, on my bed. Please... take her,” you stepped aside to let him in, completely bewildered by the turn of events. The auburn haired man made his way over to your bed, cooing at the snake, whom raised her head at the sound of his voice.

“Now now Abby... what did I say about getting out of your cage? Always so impatient when it's feeding time,” he chided softly, stepping over and petting at the snake's head before bending to scoop up all eight feet of her coils.

You watched in fascination; the boa not only recognized his voice, but responded like a cat or dog might... a very large, scaly dog, you thought with a shiver.

“I'm sorry... she's rather adventurous...” the man spoke, turning towards you to apologize, though his gaze was still on the snake, the motion causing you to shrink back as the boa had raised her head to look at you. The man looked over to you as if in protest, coming to the snake's defense.

“Don't worry, she won't bite you. Her name's Abby and she's a Boa Constrictor. Harmless this one really, and I'm Newt– ah...” his words faltered and he dropped his head, face coloring as he had finally gotten a good look at you.

At his reaction, you suddenly remembered your current state of dress and let out a small yelp, darting behind the door that Newt was trying to exit out of with slight difficulty as Abby was now trying to crawl around his shoulders.

“But perhaps now's not the best time for introductions... ah, I'll take my leave now,” he murmured to you as he passed, and you nodded stiffly in response, quite possibly unaware that you had done so in the first place.

Queenie stood by, stifling a chuckle at your shared embarrassment as you closed and locked the door, your attention going to your now empty bed with newfound distrust.

“Quite handsome wasn't he? If a bit odd,” Queenie chimed in suddenly, sitting on the edge of her own bed as she fluffed her pillow, sending you a sly look that was missed, busy with flipping through your blankets for any other unexpected guests.

“Yeah...” you replied automatically, realizing that you were unsure what you were even agreeing to, then looked over, your face scrunching up.

“Wait, what?”

“I was just saying how exciting this place is; I think I'll enjoy college,” she amended, a playfully innocent look on her face. You raised a brow at her, knowing that wasn't even close to what she had said before, but since you weren't listening the first time, there was no point in arguing over it.

“Exciting indeed...” you muttered in a sardonic tone, gingerly sliding into your bed.

“Well, better get some rest; there's still unpacking to be done. Goodnight,” she chirped, clicking off her light and laying back while you stared at the ceiling, wide awake.

“Goodnight,” you replied, but knew that on your end, it was an empty gesture. After that bit of excitement, there was little chance of sleep tonight.

 


	2. Tricks to Trapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally approach Newt to speak with him (with a little help).

A clear, sunny afternoon sun shone through the courtyard of the college campus, warm enough to distract from the light nip in the fall air.

A week into the semester and you were finally feeling more settled in with the aid of the Goldstein sisters. Fully unpacked in your dorm and now in classes, you were slowly falling into a familiar routine, though your routine wasn't the only one you'd gotten in synch with.

About fifty feet ahead of you in the courtyard stood Newt, squatting down in front of a small cluster of bushes and trying to coax something towards him.

This happened at least once a day; a squirrel he was trying to rehabilitate would pop open the kennel door while he was transferring it to the animal shelter a block over, and Newt would spend about fifteen minutes trying to get the squirrel to come back to him.

The squirrel itself was in no condition to climb, so it would run to the bushes and scurry around the base of the tree, chattering at Newt whenever he got too close, and every afternoon, you would sit outside the science building to watch.

Queenie's voice came from behind you and made your heart stop.

“So, how long are you going to stalk him?” she asked, an amused twinkle in her eyes as Tina come up behind her, sizing up the situation and smirking as you rushed to defend yourself.

“I'm not stalking him!” You sputtered, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks at being caught.

“Then what are you doing hun?” You hadn’t an answer for that as quickly as you would have liked, your gaze shifting to the side.

“I'm... um... observing?” You offered helplessly, knowing full well that wouldn't be enough to curve them away from lecturing you.

“You don’t really need to “observe” for more than a week, especially since his schedule is pretty much the same every day,” Tina chimed in, holding up a hand to silence you when you started to protest, though you were more stunned that she seemed to know his schedule as well...

No doubt because she had been following you, you decided with a groan.

“And let's be completely honest; you two share the same dorms, do you really think someone like him who's as amazing at catching animals as you say, wouldn't notice some woman stalking after him?” She glanced over at her sister, whom nodded in agreement.

“Perhaps it's time to go say something to him?” Queenie offered and you stared at the pair of them, flabbergasted. Just walking up to him like this was outrageous... you didn't even know what to say.

Though it was no more outrageous than you stalking him, you supposed.

“He looks like he might need a hand with that squirrel; you could offer to help. It's not like anyone else has done so yet,” Tina suggested, giving you a gentle nudge.

“Go on, before he leaves,” she waved her hand, Queenie sending you a supportive smile from behind her. Well... what else did you have to lose? It wasn't like you'd really spoken to him since that incident with the boa.

“Uh... alright I guess...” You relented, glancing back at them one last time then took a deep breath and trotted out to Newt, now on his hands and knees, halfway beneath a bush. Eyes darting around nervously, you cleared your throat, startling him and the squirrel, who ran to the other side of the tree, chittering angrily.

Newt drew back to his hunches with a sigh and looked up to you, blinking as the recognition washed over his face. He stood, looking back to the squirrel with a click of his tongue, then to you, dipping his head in greeting.

“Oh... um... hi...” you murmured.

“Hello, it's nice to see you again...” he paused a moment and looked you up and down.

“And to um... see that you're dressed,” he spoke, instantly regretting it. As your face turned a bright shade of pink, Newt dropped his gaze, shuffling his feet awkwardly as he muttered an apology.

“Ermm... sorry...”

“I-it's alright... so, do you need any help?” you said in diversion, finding the offer to be genuine nonetheless, restlessly twisting the straps of your bag in your hand as you awaited his reply. Newt perked up at the suggestion, watching you from the side of his gaze as he spoke, the previous embarrassment shoved aside, but not forgotten.

“I suppose you could help... the little rascal fights me every day, but I need him here at night for lab work,” he said, and you stopped yourself from saying you knew, though the lab work took you by surprise. The professors let him use the labs without supervision?

“Alright, just tell me what to do,” you said, and Newt gave you a quick smile, the expression going all the way up to his eyes. You felt your face flush and ducked your head, setting your bag down and following his instructions to head to the other side of the tree.

The plan was to lure him back into the kennel with a few treats, and your job was to shake the bushes to draw him out, then help herd the squirrel to the open door. Newt placed the treats into the cage, sneaking around to where you were on the opposite side.

“I don't want to have to scare him, but he'll never leave these bushes if we don't root him out,” he said and you nodded, following his lead as you rustled the branches of the bushes. Hearing the squirrel chattering, you saw a small flick of red and brown dart through the underbrush as he weaved his way over towards the kennel.

Newt raised a hand, making you halt as you both watched the squirrel creeping into the kennel, smelling the food. Newt stepped lightly around the tree, closing in on the squirrel as you held your breath, frozen as he leapt the last three feet to shut the cage and latch it.

“Got him...” Newt said, holding up the now caged animal and you exhaled.

“That was more exciting than I thought it would be,” you said with a shaky smile, which Newt flashed back in return, whispering something to the squirrel that you couldn't quite make out. A thought struck you and you called out to him before he could turn to leave.

“You know... maybe if you got a harness of some kind and let him run around before you left, he wouldn't be so restless. And it's not like it would take you any longer to get to the shelter,” you explained as you made your way back around the tree to his side, and Newt paused in consideration of your words.

“That might actually work... urm... how do you know how long it takes me to get to the shelter?” His brow wrinkled as he leveled his gaze on you, the direct eye contact shocking you as much as the question.

“Err... I-I've seen you once or twice in passing... that's all,” you said hastily, trying to change the subject.

“So... what's it like working at the animal shelter? I don't think I've ever been in one,” you said, plucking your discarded bag off the ground. Newt hummed softly, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Why not come with me and see?” He spoke, balancing the kennel and his own bag, overflowing with books, the squirrel running circles inside at all the movement.

“Ah... sure. I would love to,” you said, reaching over and carefully taking the kennel from Newt so he could fix his bag.

“Come on then, it's almost feeding time,” he said, relieving you of the cage and its contents and you followed him off the grass and up the block, your heart fluttering lightly. This offer was too perfect to refuse, given it was his idea, and it gave you the chance to actually spend some time with him.

Maybe now you wouldn't have to follow him around campus in secret anymore.

 


	3. Passions and Potential

Inside the animal shelter, Newt carefully transferred the squirrel into one of the larger cages along the wall, muttering softly to the animal as you watched from a distance. He turned to you and sent you another soft smile, placing the carrier off to the side.

“Come on, I'll give you the grand tour,” he said, waving one hand to get you to follow him. You left your bag on one of the tables and trotted after him as he led you room to room.

The shelter was bigger than you expected, both outside and in, and you marveled at the number of animals contained within. There were several walls of cages used for housing smaller mammals, a separate area filled with glass tanks for reptiles and amphibians, all with their own heating lamps.

There were a handful of volunteers working at the time, and they all greeted Newt with enthusiasm, asking you both probing questions about his company. Newt informed that you were just a fellow student interested in the shelter, then practically dragged you out to the courtyard and away from prying eyes. You had the sneaking suspicion that they knew as much as the Goldsteins did and was grateful for the escape.

Outside, they had larger pins for injured wildlife or young animals on the verge of release. Newt explained that keeping the animals as separate from humans as possible was a necessity if they were to be released back to the wild where they belonged.

“Here's one of my favorite areas,” he said, an eager expression on his face that reminded you of a child showing off. He led you around the back to what looked to be a huge wooden cage about seven feet high, wrapped in double layered chicken wire. Inside were several ledges of various heights, mostly covered with small cheeping birds.

“The aviary. We use it to help introduce rehabilitating wild birds to life outdoors, give them a chance to use their wings and learn to gather food,” he explained, leading you right up to the side so you could peer in. Fascinated, you tilted your head back to watch some of the birds fluttering around the top of the cage, then land on one of the perches to chirp at the pair of you. Newt seemed positively delighted by your interest, stepping closer to speak with you.

“Would you like to go inside?” He asked and you looked up at him a grinned.

“Can we? Wait... they won't... bite or anything right?” you asked hesitantly and he chuckled in response.

“No, they might pull at your hair a little bit, but they're far too small to hurt you,” he said, opening the door to the containment area then turned and waited. You lingered at the threshold for a moment of two, then slowly stepped inside to join him. He latched the door shut, then went to open the second inner door. “Watch your step. Not all of them can fly well and sometimes they get underfoot.”

You immediately looked down and saw a few small finches hopping around in the hay, scooting your feet across the ground to keep them from getting stepped on.

Overhead, the birds flew in circles, chirping in excitement at the visitors. A slight tug at the top of your head told you that one of the birds had found a perch there and was playing with your hair. You looked up at Newt and grinned, amused to see that you weren't the only one; several small birds, and one cardinal were fighting over space on top of his head.

“I see you're popular among the birds,” you teased, feeling a few more land on your shoulder and tug at your shoelaces.

Letting out a quiet laugh, Newt held out a hand and a few of the birds landed on his palm. “They're probably expecting food from me, but it's too early for that,” he spoke, more to the surrounding birds than you. The pair of you lingered in there for a few minutes longer, then Newt carefully led you out, making sure to check there were no potential escapees.

“At this point it would be rather dangerous for any of them to get out. None of them fly well enough to avoid predators,” he was saying, holding the door open for you as you went back inside. “Come on, it's feeding time. Would you like to help me?” he asked, and you nodded your head.

“I would be happy to help, just tell me what I need to do,” you replied, following after him as he led you back to the small animal cages. Newt guided you through the process, starting with the mammals then moving into the reptile and amphibian room. You were mostly silent at first, just following the instructions Newt gave you and thinking that the Goldstein sisters had to be somewhere, urging you to say something, anything.

“So... um... your accent...” you said finally, and Newt looked up from the turtle tank he was leaning over, a confused look on his face. Not very smooth, you decided and rushed to add to your statement, feeling your face heat up. “I-I just realized that it sounds European... so, why are you here in America?” You stumbled through the question; that would have to do, though it was perfectly reasonable one, given how much more expensive American colleges were.

Newt hummed thoughtfully, closing the lid to the tank.

“Well, I am in fact British. I came to America because the company I wish to work for is based here,” he said, gathering up the feeding supplies and moving to the snakes. You hung back a bit, a little gun shy from your last interaction with a snake, but this didn't seem to bother Newt any as he went on.

“I moved here on scholarship because I wish to work for National Geographic; er... the actual magazine,” he added, a passionate look in his eyes that you hadn't seen before. “While there's a lot we know about animals, there's still so much more to discover, and I want to travel to learn about these animals and their habitats, then work on articles so others can learn about them as well,” he went on, his excitement growing the more he spoke about it.

“So... you came overseas to be closer to the organization you wish to work for...” You spoke, in awe of his enthusiasm as well as his dedication; you yourself had some sliver of an idea on what you wanted to do once you graduated, but Newt had a full ten year plan drawn up and the idea of that intimidated you.

“I've always loved working with animals, even at a young age. My mother raised horses while I was growing up and would let me help her take care of them.” He gave off a modest shrug, appearing embarrassed now. “During my secondary years, I took every biology class I could, even down to the field sciences and botany classes. When I realized I had a shot to work for the magazine if I moved her for college... everything sort of... fell into place.”

Realizing that Newt had finished speaking, you nodded your head numbly. “That's... remarkable really, and I think the job suits you well. I wish I had that kind of focus,” you laughed a bit, nervously wringing your hands together. “So, are you going to focus on one type of animal, or are you going to research them all?” you asked, trying to keep conversation going.

“I'm focusing on land animals first, but my goal is to research all type of animals. I mean, they're all so fascinating, so it's difficult to pick just one type,” Newt replied, and you weren't surprised in the slightest by his answer. He really was an interesting person, a fact that was not helping your little crush on him in the slightest. Sensing you studying him, Newt cleared his throat, making you jump.

“Ah, sorry. But I believe we are falling behind schedule. There's still the pins outside to tend to and the aviary,” he said and you straightened, nodding your head a bit too rapidly.

“Ah, yes, right. Let's go then,” you murmured, heat rising to your face. You could feel eyes peeking out at you, no doubt from the other workers hidden around corners, and hurried after Newt to finish feeding the animals. After spending about an hour here, you now knew what the zoo animals felt like in their exhibits.

There was a glimmer of hope as an afterthought, given if they saw potential, then maybe you weren't as crazy as you thought. Now came the problem of how to approach Newt, and something told you that would be the hardest part.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, feedback is always welcome~


End file.
